Garment.



M. W. FUCHS.

GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 5, 1909.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

. w m m a COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60-. WASHINGTON. n. c.

MARIE W. FUCHS, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Application filed October 5, 1909. Serial No. 521,155i.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIE W. FUoHs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improved Garment, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an article of wearing apparel in which aflaring effect is produced.

One of the improved features consists in attaching a band of fairlystifl material at its upper edge only to the inner surface of thegarment and in such manner that it will hang within the lower portionthereof and produce a flaring or outwardly curving appearance.

Another feature has reference to the construction of the stiffening bandfrom one piece of material and in a substantially oval shape so that thegarment when stiffened will hang naturally and gracefully and will havean even and uniform flare completely around the circumference of thelower portion.

The main objects of the invention are to produce a natural flare in thegarment having a neat and elegant appearance, to avoid causing uneven orpronounced waves in the flared portion, and to maintain the flaredportion of the garment in an easy and graceful position on the wearer.

The stiflening band is arranged with the end portion of the oval in thefront of the skirt for a two-fold purpose, viz: First, to providesuficient stepping room for the wearer; and second, to provide forcausing the front portion of the skirt to hang more nearly vertical thanthe rear portion thereof, because of the greater amount of material inthe larger, or wider, portion of the oval than in the smaller ornarrower portion.

The invention also relates to certain details of construction which willbe hereinafter described and claimed reference being had to theaccompanying drawings illustrating a preferred adaptation in whichFigure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation partially in section of a skirtprovided with the improved flare. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached planview of the oval stiffening band. Fig. 3 is a section on line a a, Fig.2. Fig. 4 is a section on line b b, Fi 1, through the skirt, the flounceand the sti ening band showing the manner of securing them together by asingle row of stitching.

In referring to the drawings in detail, like numerals designate likeparts.

In the adaptation of the invention illus trated in the accompanyingdrawings, 1 represents the body portion of a ladies skirt or pett-icoathaving a lower flounce 2. A band 3 of stiffening material such asmohair, or hair cloth is secured to the lower end of the skirt body 1and hangs so as to maintain the flounce in a flared out condition asshown in Fig. 1. This band is preferably of an oval shape as shown inFig. 2 and 1s formed of one integral section of material so that it willbe equally stiff throughout. A covering 4 of suitable thin material isfitted on one of the faces of the band with its side edges lapped overthe edges of the band as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3 one way of securing the covering 4 to the band is shown. Inthis figure the inner margin of the band is folded upon itself as shownat 5 to stiffen the flounce and the inner margin of the covering isfolded upon the folded marginal portion. The outer margin of thecovering is folded over the edge of the band and then folded in a doublefold upon itself to provide two folds of the covering on the outermargin of the band as shown at 6, in said Fig. 3. Both the flounce 2 andthe band 3 are secured to the lower extremity of the body portion 1 by asingle row of stitching 7 as shown in Fig. 4. The flounce is secured tothe outer surface and the band to the inner surface of the body portion1, see Figs. 1 and 4 and both hang downward and outward producing aflaring appearance. The flounce and band are not secured together at anypoint and are free to move independently of each other below the pointsof mutual attachment to the body portion, so that the garment when onthe wearer will have a natural and graceful appearance.

The advantage of the oval shaped band is that the flounce of the skirtis supported in the most convenient shape for walking. Other advantagesreside in the inte ral construction of the band which pro uces an evenstiffness throughout and in the securing of both the flounce and band tothe skirt body by a single row of stitching, which naturally reduces thecost and labor besides securing the flounce and band to the body at thesame horizontal plane so that they will fall and hang togethernaturally.

I claim--- A garment comprising a body portion, a lower flounce securedto the body portion, and a substantially oval stiflening band secured atthe junction of the body portionand the flounce and with its widerportion 10 in the front part of the garment and having its lower outerportion free andin sliding contact with the interior surface of thefiounce below the bottom edge of'the body portion, for causing it toflare substantially as shown and-specified.

MARIE WV. FUCHS.

GEORGE A. NEUBAUER.

1 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner ofIPatents Washington, D. 0.

